Will It Be Bureaucratic Heavy-Handedness or a Deft Guiding Touch for Japanese Science and Technology? (July 12, 2013)

Science reports in its July 12, 2013 issue that Japan is to make translational science key to its striking out for an economic resurgence.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has made economic revitalization a priority, and fostering innovation is a key part of his plan. He has tasked his advisory Council for Science and Technology Policy (CSTP) with making sure that the nation's R&D budget supports that goal. At a press briefing last week,

Yuko Harayama, an executive member of the council, outlined how next year's S&T budget, due to be unveiled at the end of August, will speed the progress of discoveries to the marketplace. Three key comments from her talk:

Why a stronger policy council is needed:
 

Y.H.:We need the ministries to collaborate. It is rational to have a central entity taking an overview of all of the budget related to [for example] life science and health to accelerate [turning] discoveries into products.
 

How management of research programs might change:
 

Y.H.:We are [examining] the function played by a program manager. Traditionally, once [an administrator] fixed a budget the work was finished. We need someone … to make sure something is really moving ahead.
 

On getting more women in science and technology:
 

Y.H.:I am [the first woman] in a permanent position at the CSTP. The most important thing [about having] women … in the decision-making sphere is that they may bring in new thinking. What I will try to do is promote women … putting pressure on the universities, but the same should be done in industry.